Toilet bowl



Feb. 8, 1944. v A. HOFFIQIANN TOILET BOWL Filed Feb. 25; 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -Eca/ r H n W ATTORNEY.

Feb. 8, 1944. v. A. HOFFMANN TOILET BOWL Filed Feb. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 8, 1944 U'NlTED STATES TENT OFFICE- 10 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved stack hung toilet bowland has for one of its principal objects the provision of means for economically producing a highly efficient and exceptionally sturdy device of the kind referred to.

Another and further important object of advantage and'importance resides in the provision of means for eliminating excessive operating noises.

Still another object of advantage and importance resides in the provision of means for directing floating objects away from the lip of the discharge opening when the device is operating.

A further object of advantage and importance resides in the provision of means for extending overflow and vent means from the bottom of the bowl to a discharge stack.

Another and still further object of importance is the provision of means for providing a refill chamber within a portion of the intake passageway.

A still further object of advantage and importance is the provision of means for flushing the lower end of the vent and overflow passage- Additional objects of advantage and importance will become apparent as the following detailed description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein l is a side elevational view of a stack hung toilet bowl which embodies the invention.

Fig. 2is a top plan view, with the seat and cover removed, of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a similar vertical section of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinalvertical section taken on line 5 -5 of Fig, 4, parts thereof being broken away.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 65 of Fig. 4, of a iragmental portion of the device looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral It indicates generally the bowl of the improved device of this invention. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the bowl It is substantially oval in plan formation, as is best shown in Fig. 2.

Formed of the rear portion of the improved device of this invention is a vertically disposed attaching member iii. The attaching member I? is connected to the bowl it) by means of an intermediate member it as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Extending around the rim of the bowl H) and rearwardly through the intermediate member i l and thencerthrough the securing member i2 is an inletpassageway 56; The-end of the inlet passageway it which extends through the securing member i2 is adapted to be secured to a continuation l3 thereof as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A suitable gland 26 positioned on the continuation I8 is secured in position by the threaded rods This coupling functions to form a water tight joint between the passageway it and the continuation l8 thereof. However, any other suitable means such as packing cups or recesses may also be employed to obtain a tight joint.

Extending downwardly from the bottom of the bowl ill closely adjacent the rear end thereof, and thence rearwardly and upwardly through the intermediate member Hi and the attaching member 52 is a discharge passageway 25. The portion of the discharge passageway 24 here disclosed has its discharge end raised to elevate the lower end of the securing flange 12 to provide sufficient clearance above the floor. However, the discharge end of the passageway 24 is low enough to bring the entire jointbelow the normal water level or the bowl. The connection or joint between the discharge passageway 24 and a continuation secured thereto is water sealed. The discharge passageway 24 and a continuation associated therewith is more fully disclosed and its function described in my co -pending application Ser. No. 364,175, filed November 4, 1940, now matured into Patent No, 2,280,952.

The continuation of the discharge passageway 25 is maintained in position by threaded rods 255 operating in conjunction with the securing member 52 and the flange 28. The threaded rods 22 and 28 are provided with removable heads 21 in order that they may be employed in the limited space allowed between the rear end of the seat 23, the rear end of the bowl NJ, and the'front face of the securing member i2.

Formed in the portion of the intake passageway it which extends through the intermediate.

portion id of the device isrefill recess 3?. The refill recess 38 is preferably formed by offsetting a portion of the floor of the pasageway 16, as is best shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The passageway 56 may be contracted as at ll to lessen the volume and pressure of water passing therethrough. This lessening of volume and pressure tends to eliminate noise as the water is discharged through the outlets it into the bowl W.-

Extending downwardly from the intake passageway it through the rear lip of its discharge opening is a passageway 32. When in operation the passageway 32 functions to direct a stream of water against the flow of water being discharged from thebowl to create a vortex. Floating'residue and the like is thus carried downwardly and prevented fromcontacting or adhering'to the rearlip ofthe discharge opening. Th

passageway 32 .isipreierably positioned, .as-isbest.

shown in Fig. 5, to direct water under full pressure and volume into the bowl l0.

Extending from the discharge passageway 24 upwardly and rearwardly through the securing member i2 is a siphon breaker vent passageway 34. The vent passageway 34 is adapted to be connected to a stack in the manner disclosed in the patent above referred to. The vent 34 provides a means for conveying air from the stack into the passageway .24 closely adjacent the bowl in. The admission of air at this point below the water level breaks the siphon action before the water in the bowl is lowered sufficiently to break the seal. Consequently, air from the roomside cannot enter the passageway to break the siphon action. This maintenance of the water seal between the bowl and the discharge passageway prevents any noise of operation from passing from the discharge passageway into the bowl.

Extending from the discharge passageway 2 rearwardly and upwardly through securing memher I! is an overflow passageway 36. The overflow passageway 36 is adapted to be extended to a stack in the manner shown and disclosed in the patent above referred to. The lower end of the overflow passageway 36 is preferably connected to the discharge passageway 2d at a point directly beneath its opening into the bowl I0, as is best shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

Where it is so desired the discharge ends of the passageways extending through the attaching member I 2 may be secured to their respective continuations by any suitable means such as separate cups and gaskets or the like. Or a single perforated gasket may be utilized to provide a water tight joint between opposing faces of the attaching membe l2 and a securing plate.

Extending downwardly from the bottom of the refill chamber 30 is a pair of refill passageways 38, 38. The lower ends of the refill passageway 38 may terminate one in the vent passageway 34 and the other in the overflow passageway 36, as is best shown in Fig. 3. Each refill passageway 38 during operation of the device directs a flow of water through the lower end of the passageway with which it is associated. This action tends to remove from the passageway any residue which may have entered prior to the flushing operation.

In the slightly modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, vent and overflow facilities are obtained through a single passageway 40. Also the modified form of the invention shows a single refill passageway 38 extending from the refill chamber 38 into the passageway 30. The action of the elements in the modified form of the invention are precisely the same as in the preferred embodiment.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that herein is provided an improved device which when discontinuing, the siphon action of the flushing operation draws the siphon breaking air from the stack instead of from the room. This manner of breaking the siphon seal eliminates the gurgling sound invariably present in conventional toilet bowls.

Furthermore, it will be apparent that the improved device of this invention is constructed with an overflow element which reduces to a minimum the danger of the bowl overflowing on account of obstructions in the discharge passageway. Moreover, it is to be noted that a portion of the flushing water is directed through the lower end of the overflow passageway thus preventing obstructions or foreign matter from entering therein. However, the overflow passageway operates as such only when the discharge passageway is clogged up or inoperative.

It is also to be noted that the improved device of this invention provides a means for preventing floating matter or the like from clinging or adhering to the lip at the rear edge of the discharge opening. During the flushing operation water is directed from the lip outwardly toward the center of the bowl and across the upper portion of the discharge opening. The conflicting currents set up a rotative movement or whirl which quickly submerges all floating matter and conveys it through the discharge passageway.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the improved device of this invention appertains that numerous changes and alterations in construction and design may be made without departing from the spirit, or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the patent granted hereon is not to be limited to the preferred embodiment here shown or in any other manner except as is necessitated by the terminology of the appended claims when given the range of equivalents to which they may be entitled.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof, an inlet passageway leading into said bowl, an outlet passageway leading from said bowl, the outlet end of saidoutlet being positioned to be joined to a continuation thereof below the normal water level of said bowl, an overflow passageway extending from said outlet passageway rearwardly through the securing face portion of the closet, a refill reservoir located in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof, a portion of the floor of said reservoir being depressed, a refill passageway extending from the floor of the depressed portion of the reservoir downwardly into the bowl, and an auxiliary flushing passageway extending from a point above the floor of the depressed portion of said reservoir downwardly into said bowl.

2. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof, an inlet passageway extending through said securing face and into said bowl, a trapped outlet passageway extending from said bowl rearwardly through the securing face, the discharge end of said out-' let passageway being below the normal water level of said bowl, siphon breaker vent and overflow means extending through said securing face and being joined to said outlet passageway closely adjacent said bowl, said vent and overflow means being positioned to direct the flow of water therein toward the bowl during normal flushing operation, a recessed refill reservoir located in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof, a portion of the floor of said refill reservoir being on a plane above the recessed portion thereof, an auxiliary flushing passageway extending from said elevated portion of said floor downwardly into said bowl, and means for draining said refill reservoir into said bowl.

3. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof, an inlet passageway extending through said securing face and into said bowl, a trapped outlet passageway extending from said bowl rearwardly through the securing face, vent and overflow means extend ing through said securing face and being joined to said outlet passageway closely adjacent saidbowl, said vent and overflow means being posi-i tioned to direct water within the lower portion of said vent and overflow means toward the bowl and into the outlet passageway during normal flushing operation, a refill reservoir located in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof, and means for draining said refill reservoir into said bowl.

4. In a water closet, a bowl, an inlet passageway extending into said bowl, said passageway being located in the upper portion of said water closet, a refill reservoir positioned in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof, said refill reservoir having an offset floor to provide a restricted main outlet, an auxiliary outlet passageway extending from the floor surface of said restricted portion downwardly into said bowl, an overflow passageway extending from the lower portion of the bowl rearwardly and upwardly, means for directing a flow of water through said overflow and toward the bowl during flushing operation, and a. discharge passageway extending from the bottom of said bowl rearwardly.

5. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof, an inlet passageway extending through said securing face and into said bowl, a trapped outlet passageway extending from said bowl rearwardly through the securing face, siphon breaker and overflow means extending through said securing face and being joined to said outlet passageway closely adjacent said bowl, means for directing a portion of the flow of flushing water through a portion of said siphon breaker and overflow into the discharge portion of said bowl, means for retarding a portion of the flow of water through said inlet passageway, and means for directing said retarded flow into the lower portion of said bowl.

6. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rea portion thereof, an inlet passageway leading into said bowl, a trapped outlet passageway leading from said bowl, an overflow passageway extending from said outlet passageway rearwardly through the securing face portion of the closet, a passageway extending from said inlet passageway and being operably connected to said overflow passageway, said last named passageway providing means for flushing a portion of the forward end of said overflow passageway toward said bowl, a refill reservoir located in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof, and a, passageway extending from said reservoir downwardly into said bowl.

7. In a water closet: a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof; an inlet passageway extending through said securing face and into said bowl; a trapped outlet passageway extending from said bowl rearwardly through the securing face; siphon breaker and overflow means extending through said securing face and being joined to said outlet passageway closely adjacent the bottom of said bowl; means extending from said inlet passageway for directing water into said siphon breaker and overflow means closely adjacent the point where said siphon breaker vent and overflow means are joined to said outlet passageway; a refill reservoir located in said inlet passageway intermediate the ends thereof; and means for draining said refill reservoir into said bowl.

8. In a water closet, a bowl having a securing face formed of the rear portion thereof; an inlet passageway extending through said face and into th upper portion of said bowl; an outlet passageway extending through said face and into the lower portion of said bowl; siphon breaker and overflow means extending through said face and being joined to said outlet passageway near the bottom of said bowl; said siphon breaker and overflow means, said outlet passageway, and said inlet passageway, all having ends projecting beyond said securing face to which ends continuations of said parts may be secured.

9. In a water closet; a bowl, an inlet passageway extending into said bowl, an outlet passageway extending from said bowl, an auxiliary passageway joined to said outlet passageway closely adjacent said bowl, said auxiliary passageway being disposed substantially parallel to said outlet passageway, and means for flushing the auxiliary passageway into the outlet passageway, said flushing being in a forwardly and downwardly direction.

10. In a water closet, a bowl, an inlet passageway extending into said bowl, said passageway being located in the upper portion of said water closet, means for retarding the flow of a portion of the water passing through the inlet passageway during a flushing operation, a portion of said retarded flow being directed into said bowl as a refill, a discharge passageway extending from the bottom of said bowl rearwardly, and a siphon breaking vent joined to the discharge passageway near the bottom of the bowl and extending rearwardly and upwardly to a point remote from said bowl, said vent being disposed to be joined to a stack to break siphonic action in the bowl with air taken from the remotely located stack before the water level in the bowl falls sufficiently to break the water-seal.

VICTOR A. HOFFMANN. 

